Synopsis
Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on step-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo.
Scores
Overall Score
60.5
Popularity Percentile (Year)
69.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
39.1%
Review Aggregate
78.2
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 71% of 7 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize character-driven, realistic, emotional. Common reservations focus on uneven tone, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
character-drivenrealisticemotionalvisually strikingthought-provokinguneven tone
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Borrego | 1993 | $2,848,000 | $6,183,000 | (est) |
| Benjamin Bratt | 1993 | $1,753,000 | $3,806,000 | (est) |
| Enrique Castillo | 1993 | $1,320,000 | $2,865,000 | (est) |
| Damian Chapa | 1993 | $1,079,000 | $2,343,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score64.0
RT critic review count14
Rotten Tomatoes audience score94.0
RT audience rating count25,000
IMDb rating7.9
IMDb votes36,713
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1993 | $4,496,583 | $9,761,786 |
| International | 1993 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1993 | $4,496,583 | $9,761,786 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1993 | $2,248,292 | $4,880,893 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1993 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1993 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1993 | $16,612,000 | $36,063,560 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1993 | $13,348,000 | $28,977,630 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1993 | $1,798,633 | $3,904,714 |
| Total Revenues | 1993 | $34,006,925 | $73,826,798 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1993 | $35,000,000 | $75,982,699 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1993 | $2,932,000 (est) | $6,365,179 (est) |
| Participations | 1993 | $680,000 | $1,476,235 |
| Residuals ? | 1993 | $2,294,000 | $4,980,123 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1993 | $5,950,000 | $12,917,059 |
| Total Expenses | 1993 | $46,856,000 | $101,721,296 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1993 | $-12,849,075 | $-27,894,498 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Catch Me If You Can | 2002 | Shared genres: 3 | 97.0 | $116,707,558 |
 | The Wolf of Wall Street | 2013 | Shared genres: 3 | 95.3 | $39,166,541 |
 | American Gangster | 2007 | Shared genres: 3 | 94.6 | $31,322,737 |
 | Goodfellas | 1990 | Shared genres: 3 | 94.2 | $58,810,160 |
 | Spotlight | 2015 | Shared genres: 3 | 94.1 | $23,965,623 |